How To Boost Your Travel Savings: The Best Side Jobs For Saving Money!

There isn’t a soul on earth who wouldn’t want more money to travel with. Amirite!?

The problem: How does one actually make more money?

Well, unless you got the hookup (read: a rich granny or winning lotto ticket), you’re going to have to work for it.

Yeah, work work. Like yeah, even more than you work now. I know. Totally lame, right? But hey, that’s what it is.

No worries, I got your back though! No needs to sell everything to your name (although this is a choice), just nab yourself another job. Here’s a badass list of all the side jobs that actually can earn you an extra chunk of change for your travel savings!

Boost Your Travel Savings With These Side Jobs

Seasonal – Summer/Winter Jobs

Work your butt off during seasons that are booming. Do you live in a winter destination full of snow bunnies and shredders that flock to the powder to spend their time relishing in the white haven? How about working at the ski resorts for some extra travel savings? You could simply be a customer associate who rents out the gear or if you’re actually skilled, an instructor.

Going to the opposite end of the weather spectrum, if you live in a popular beach or summer destination why not pick up a lifeguard gig or work at the local surf shop that’s booming for the few busy season months.

Seasonal work is a great way to make more money for travel.

There are tons of seasonal jobs.

The Christmas tree stand, nearly any store imaginable during the holidays/busy season for the area, summer camps, resort jobs, restaurants during the holidays always need more help…

Think outside the box! Seasonal work is great because it’s easy quick cash to stockpile your travel savings BUT there’s a light at the end of the tunnel and it’s not too permanent. You can suffer for a few extra months to earn a few thousand in savings for the sake of travel, right?

Waiter

Hey hey, all my fellow service industry wait staff! I’ve waitress for about 10 or so years of my life and I just may again in the future because it’s SUCH a good saving job.

I literally wouldn’t be where I am today and traveling perpetually if it wasn’t for being a waitress.

Before I started traveling, I worked at a bar as a waitress to up my travel savings while working at a 9-5. It was literally the only way I could save to travel! I ended up saving over $16,000 in two years because I waitressed. No. Joke.

And even better? I bartended and waitressed in Australia in 2016 on a working holiday visa and saved some serious bank. I was making money online but I wanted a big and quick bump. And I went BIG. I stowed away over $17,000 USD in my travel savings account in 10 months!

Wait wait… it get’s better…

Bartending to up your travel funds

Summer 2017 I went to live in Bend, Oregon, where my boyfriend is from, and I saved over $5,000 in 2.5 months waitressing at a brewery.

Yep, No joke. For real. No lies. Waitressing is literally how I am able to save money for travel. Again, I make my money online but the allure of putting away some quick cash is too great to resist.

Bartender

Similar to waitressing, you can put away, even more, cash if you bartend considering they often have to work longer hours and sometimes even get tipped more. I bartended in Australia and made some serious mula.

My boyfriend, while living and working in Australia, SAVED over $34,000 USD in 10 months bartending.

These numbers don’t lie, people!

Online Work

So you’re working but you could be working more and without even putting pants on… For reals. Do you want a bigger travel saving?

Nab yourself some online work.

Not everyone can go down this path (at least not right away) but if you can, you’re golden.

For example, if you do any graphic design, virtual assistant type work, writing, data entry, social media management etc… You can work online, make extra cash, not quit your day job, and again… Make money without putting pants on. There are a lot of possibilities for online work.

Work online to save more for travel!

I work online and travel and have been for years but you can simply work your 9-5 back home and start working online to gain some extra travel money and then continue working online while you travel!

You’re ahead of the game my friend. You go, Glen Coco!

Promos

I used to do promos before I traveled too. It’s an easy here and their type of job. It’s so random, it’s easy to just say yes, especially if they pay you $25 an hour… Which is what I got to promote a certain beer at bars in my areas.

Find promo gigs in your area and become a “promo girl or guy” and make some easy side cash for your travels.

You can look on Craigslist, ask the promo people you see out at the bar if they have a connection, or simply Google it for your area.

Overtime

Can’t be bothered with finding another job? Ask if there is an opportunity for overtime at your current gig. Ask for taking on extra work for extra money, see if there’s something else in another department that may work out for you.

Whatever it is, it doesn’t hurt to ask.

Driving people around = saving money!

Uber/Lyft

Got a decent car? Who needs weekends anyway? Uber or Lyft in your free time, dude. It’s extra cash, all you got to do is drive some people around. Who knows who you’ll meet too?

It’s not a bad gig and again, it’s extra money for travel so can you complain? At least it takes essentially zero brain cells to do. Just drive!

Airbnb

Got an extra room? Say goodbye to your solo living situation and rent out that golden nugget of a room. Did you know some people rent out for a few months of the year and can pay their rent for the entire year with the profits?

Think about how much money could be sitting in your travel fund!

If you don’t have an extra room but maybe have some super amazing parents that don’t drive you up a wall or a generous friend, maybe you can just rent out your whole place and crash at theirs?

Not the most ideal situation but if your area is popular, you could rent out your space for a few weeks out of the year and gain a pretty penny to place in that travel savings account of yours.

Think holidays, big sports occasions, festivals and events… It doesn’t need to be 24/7 every day of the week.

Dog Walking

Love puppies? I do too! How about walking adorable pups here and there for some easy side cash?

Again this doesn’t take too much brain power or time – So grab a few pups a week, take them for a walk, and rake in a few extra bucks for the sake of travel, what do you think?

Cute puppies can earn you some dough.

Tutor

Are you a major nerd in math? Maybe you’re a genius in science or literature.

Spread your knowledge and get paid for it!

There are actually two ways to go about this, advertise in your local community, either at whatever schools or universities are in the area or maybe even at your local tutoring center.

Or you can see if your skills are needed online! You can tutor people via the internet because, duh, the internet is everything these days, and what can’t you do?

I will say, I think the internet will take a bit more time to establish while you likely have closer ties in your community and could get the word out sooner and thus, make some travel money quicker.

Similarly, you could even teach another language online without being a legit language teacher. I used to teach English online for years! Also, this is a good travel-friendly job you can take with you once you hit the road. Score!

Unconventional Ways of Making Money to Get More Travel Savings

OK, let’s get weird. If you’re up for some unconventional ways to make money to travel more, then keep on reading.

Warning, some of these can be super lucrative but you’ll be doing some annoying, gross, undesirable, and even some crazy ass shit.

Venture Off Into The Weird World of Craigslist

Craigslist is weird AF. Sure there’s some legit stuff on there but more often than not the jobs are very odd, crazy, and potentially off-putting to some people but maybe you’re up for it?

Of course, exercise some caution and streets smarts, never put yourself in danger for the sake of cash, but there’s definitely money to be made with the weird jobs on Craigslist. There have been jobs for a beard mentor, a jogging partner, and even a Jedi. Craigslist is weird, but hey, it’s money.

Another alternative to Craigslist is Simplyhired and you can find jobs that are needed right now.

Raking leaves, mowing lawns… Not the most exciting work, but it’s definitely a boost for your travel savings.

Odd Jobs That Pay

These are all very viable side jobs to up that travel savings without having to totally sell your soul (unless you found the Craigslist ad for that and went along with it..)

Don’t think you’re too good for any of these jobs. There’s nothing wrong with wanting some extra side cash to do something you really want. If travel is what you want, grab your rake or your sponge and get to work.

TRUE STORY: I was so close to selling my eggs. Ladies, you can make a lot of money from selling your eggs! If you don’t have issues with the ethics of it (I didn’t, I was helping someone have a baby who couldn’t) but trust me, you really earn it! I couldn’t bare with the fact that I had to inject myself in the belly and some other weird stuff so I found others way to make money but hey! You may be able to make around $8000+ if you can deal with all that stuff for the sake of your travel savings!

Now I know that nearly none of these jobs are super glamorous by any means whatsoever… But they are all side jobs that will top up that travel savings account you have and you’ll be laughing your way to an airport in no time!

If you want more money to travel, you have to earn it!

Also, some of these jobs can “travel with you.” You can do what I did and go live and work in Australia as a bartender or waitress and save even more money to travel with. Alternatively, tutoring or any of your online work can be done anytime, anywhere, and you’ll always be replenishing that travel fund of yours.

Getting your travel savings started isn’t that hard but yes, it does take some work!

The BEST thing about these jobs is they are all kinda of disposable. You can quit easily without feeling bad or they are the type of jobs that come and go depending on how much you want it. There’s no long contract or crazy interview process making you tied to the job.

Working extra jobs is how I had enough money in my travel savings account to travel with. You got this!

4 Comments

I worked in a call center for two years located in a country I had never visit before. It gave me the opportunity to discover all parts of beautiful Greece, beaches, history, culture, relegion and even a bit of the language!

Call centers are located all over the world, international brands outsource their customer service to countries with low wages. This means customer support for all languages are located in these countries.

You can start like me, working one year in a call center, making trips during the weekend and your holidays (which is much cheaper when you are already on the right location) en at the end travel one month through this country.

Then you can go to your next country. In Europe this can be Portugal, Bulgaria or Poland for example. Outside Europe I know call centers are located in Suriname, Columbia and the Philippines.

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Hi, friend! My name is Nina Ragusa and I've been climbing volcanos, basking on exotic beaches, and dabbling in new cultures since 2011. I work abroad and remotely to support my adventure travel addiction. Follow along if you're interested in getting work abroad to travel more. Mission: Live and work on all continents.

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